Jump to content

Bitten By A Snake... Waiting For The Vets To Call :(


miss2
 Share

Recommended Posts

  • Replies 63
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Top Posters In This Topic

Posted Images

I have been watching this thread with much interest as snakes are a big fear for us here too. So glad that spud is ok. Do you know if he was actually bitten? I have heard that sometimes snakes may just 'nick' but not actually manage to inject any venom. Maybe that's what happened to Spud?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have been watching this thread with much interest as snakes are a big fear for us here too. So glad that spud is ok. Do you know if he was actually bitten? I have heard that sometimes snakes may just 'nick' but not actually manage to inject any venom. Maybe that's what happened to Spud?

Where there is no envenomation, the bite is termed a 'dry bite'. Snakes do not inject venom with every bite, they may not waste venom on prey too large to eat or they may mistime their strike & venom may be released before the fangs make contact with flesh.

So pleased to hear that Spud has recovered, a night away from home in hospital is a worrying time, isn't it!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yay for Spud, great news.

3000 people presented for snakebite at hospital last year, only 8 of them had been envenomated and 3 needed AV.

Dry bites are very common as the snake will only use venom as a defence if it has been frightened or injured.

When you accidentally step on the snake, a lot of times the snake will bite you to let you know its there and wont inject venom.

I have found larger snakes are more likely to give a dry bite than younger ones which live in fear of being eaten at every corner.

Taipans are not known for giving dry bites but they rarely come into contact with humans and never in Victoria

Im so glad Spud is doing well,

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It was a black snake- hubby saw it and saw spud chase it. It's still in our garage as the snake catcher could not get it.

It has wedged it's self under the concrete floor through a hole on the side :(

Teela, he didn't see him get bitten but saw him run at it ( before he realized what it was) , heard spud scream and saw him back up so fast he fell over.

The vet said we may never know if he was bitten.

I'm a bit worried about him. When I picked him up he was incredibly happy to see me, could not keep him still but since being home he seems a little ... Well depressed..?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would rather give AV than wait and see if the Vet cannot test, but in all honesty the majority of snake bites that I have seen present at Vet clinics are showing symptoms. Time is of the essence with treatment, and there would be no what ifs with my animals, I have seen far too many snake bite deaths. Most people bitten would be due to accident but with our canine friends they have generally taken the snake on.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Exactly Crisoavar,

the pain and fear involved in a dog attack, usually results in an envenomation.

Look for the bite around the shoulders, top of the head or back as this is where tha head of the snake contacts to dog during the dogs death shake.

Most common in terriers as the instinctivly pick it up mid body and shake their head side to side.

Like they would do with a rat to kill it.

Some dogs (spitz breeds generally..and cats) kill snakes by crunching the head, rendering them comparativly harmless

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The vet said we may never know if he was bitten.

That's not true. Your vet could do a simple creatine kinase level test to see how quickly spud's protein is breaking down and that will indicate pretty clearly if he was envenomated or not. If he's depressed then I'd assume he was. Two of mine were envenomated playing tug of war with a RBB and it took them a good 9 months to fully recover.

eta good news that he;s home. Just keep him quiet for a few days.

Edited by raz
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm a bit worried about him. When I picked him up he was incredibly happy to see me, could not keep him still but since being home he seems a little ... Well depressed..?

After everything you all have been through of course Spud is going to be 'different' for a while snake bite or no snake bite he has been traumatised and will connect event with owner reaction, and then vet procedures etc, so right now is still in that "fear of unknown" state. Just try to resume things as normal as possible while still keeping close watch on him.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just pondering here...wondering if I may be at an advantage with my Chinese crested, having no hair, if he was to be bitten surely the bite marks would be clearly visible (although I suppose there's no way of telling if it was a dry bite or not?)

I hope I never have to find out. Hope Spud is feeling better.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just pondering here...wondering if I may be at an advantage with my Chinese crested, having no hair, if he was to be bitten surely the bite marks would be clearly visible (although I suppose there's no way of telling if it was a dry bite or not?)

Yep. My two that were bitten are rough coat JRTs. One was bitten on the snout twice, the other was bitten on the neck twice. The bleeding was pretty obvious but we saw the strikes happen, and very quickly, so we didnt muck around. Just took them straight to the emergency vet and it wasnt until we were halfway there that I noticed the blood. It just all happened so fast.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just pondering here...wondering if I may be at an advantage with my Chinese crested, having no hair, if he was to be bitten surely the bite marks would be clearly visible (although I suppose there's no way of telling if it was a dry bite or not?)

Yep. My two that were bitten are rough coat JRTs. One was bitten on the snout twice, the other was bitten on the neck twice. The bleeding was pretty obvious but we saw the strikes happen, and very quickly, so we didnt muck around. Just took them straight to the emergency vet and it wasnt until we were halfway there that I noticed the blood. It just all happened so fast.

And yours were suburbia, weren't they Raz?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This really scares me, I'm always so worried our guys will come across one :(

It is actually what stops me from doing an 'escape to the country'. Would love to live rural (but close by a town for decent broadband) but eeeek, snakes.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This really scares me, I'm always so worried our guys will come across one :(

It is actually what stops me from doing an 'escape to the country'. Would love to live rural (but close by a town for decent broadband) but eeeek, snakes.

Yes! OH and I would love to move really rural, but always hesitate because of snakes.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just pondering here...wondering if I may be at an advantage with my Chinese crested, having no hair, if he was to be bitten surely the bite marks would be clearly visible (although I suppose there's no way of telling if it was a dry bite or not?)

Yep. My two that were bitten are rough coat JRTs. One was bitten on the snout twice, the other was bitten on the neck twice. The bleeding was pretty obvious but we saw the strikes happen, and very quickly, so we didnt muck around. Just took them straight to the emergency vet and it wasnt until we were halfway there that I noticed the blood. It just all happened so fast.

And yours were suburbia, weren't they Raz?

yep. The clinic had 20 cases in prior to mine in just a month, and the areas in sydney they came in from were mind boggling. Theyre not just in rural areas.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Raz, the test you are talking about, is that the one that they could have done prior to giving him the AV?

either way i dont mind, just so incredibly grateful we have our little man back. we are rural and our paddocks had flooded with all the recent rain so i would say thats why he was up around the house, the river at the back of our property also flooded.

now whats just happened to me this morning at work is well, a little spooky...

i was struck by a baby brown!!! didnt even see it untill i was nearly on top of it, it hissed and then had a strike at my leg, luckily he was small so he fell short of reaching me.

seriously though im a little freaked ,,, think the snakes are stalking me - 2 in 3 days... i want to run home to spud. oh and its fair to say i pooped my self lol can laugh about it now but i was NOT laughing at the time.

here is the link to spuds photo thread in case anyone wants a look at the little dog that is behind my rising blood pressure lol

http://www.dolforums.com.au/topic/245599-spud/

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share


×
×
  • Create New...